Help needed - trying to diagnose a problem

[Liz H]

Hi all,

I am posting here out of sheer desperation. I have had significant water damage from penetrating damp to the interior of my flat. My flat is the bottom two floors of the four-story house in the photo.

I am desperate to get everything sorted however, there is contention around what the source of the water is (and of course until it is stopped, there is no point in fixing internal damage)

The freeholders' management company sent someone around who looked at it from the garden (same perspective as the photo) and concluded it was coming from an overflow on the top floor flat. I am convinced that whilst this may be an issue (and indeed the top flat owner has said there is a problem with this) surely this cannot cause such a huge damp patch?

To me, it looks like it's coming from multiple sources and might be the gutters. Everyone is adamant it's not the gutters... but nobody has looked properly to rule this out.

I appreciate this is hard but if anyone has a two cents to toss into the ring on this I would be hugely grateful.

Thanks!
Liz

 

[SFK]

I would say it is your gutters.
And I would add to that and say that it is actually your downpipe or underground soakaway that is blocked.
I say this because I think I can see where it is leaking from the downpipe itself.
There is water damage everywhere that the downpipe travels on all 4 floors.

So there is a blockage near or at the bottom of the downpipe, when it rains the water fills the downpipe upwards, the downpipe then overflows from the small roof and leaks from its joints.

A photo of where down pipe goes into the ground would be interesting.

So you need to look at it when it rains, see if water is coming out of bottom of downpipe at full flow, or being blocked further up.

SFK

 

[Burnerman]

+1
If you could go outside next time there is significant rain you may well spot the points of overflow. I'd also suspect a blockage towards the right end of the gutter that feeds from the small roof - where the running outlet is. As SFK suggests, that downcomer is in trouble.
John

 

[bobasd]

as above.
thers leakage showin on two different elevations both show damp signs higher than the overflow connection?
if possible get the BCO to come round an see what you show in the pic - BCO will possibly condemn all that plumbing an rainwater pipework.

without goin on about everything i can see in the pic, thers other non-Regs issues showin for your flat an your right hand neighbours.

you have concrete tiles on what looks like a flat roof - the parapet is also failing.
besides possible penetratin damp from the outside walls, do you have any damp issues coming down from the single story flattish roof above?
if you still have a chimney breast you might be gettin moisture down the flue from the failing flaunching on the roof stack.

 

[HERTS P&D]

If you have access to the bottom of the rain water down pipe, then it could be jetted to remove any blockage rather than getting a long ladder. It would also test the first joint from the top.

Andy

 

[catlad]

Cut the rainwater pipe near the bottom and direct it into the garden until you have decided what to do!
You will need an offset and a length of rainwater pipe.

 

[Burnerman]

The perils of a small screen, but can you see the outlet from the flat(?) roof gutter......is that a small diameter pipe (wash hand basin maybe) just to the left that seems to exit from the facia? What's that?
John

 

[Mw Roofline]

What they said. Looks like you have that horrible 80mm grey pipe, not quite soil pipe size. There is a chance the tees and pipe connectors are on upside down but I am overdue for my annual eye test.

Undo one of the flexible band seals with a screwdriver and see if water pees out.

Ooh, I’d love to redo all that, be very satisfying.

 

[^woody^]

Get the council to serve a s.82 Statutory Nuisance notice on the Landlord/agent, and it will jolly them along considerably.

 

[Ian H]

That bush needs to go too, that could be growing into the pipes and opening the joints.

 

[foxhole]

Looks like most of the down pipe is leaking , lots of repairs with flexi connector which mean large section have no support, at that hight no one will have been on the roof for years which means all the guttering will be blocked and choking down pipes .The upper staining suggests either the top joint is leaking or the rear of the down pipe has split .The entire lot needs replacing which is why you landlord is dragging his heels .
Four storeys of scaffolding is not cheap .